DIY Coffee Body Scrub Recipe

By Amy Crawford

You can spend a tidy fortune on expensive skin scrubs, when in actual fact you've got the makings of one for just a few dollars in your own kitchen.

Today I'm sharing a DIY body scrub recipe as an economical gift to yourself and a beautifully thoughtful gift for another. To me it's the perfect Mother's Day or "just because" gift; a homemade gift made with love goes so much further don't you think? 

Today's body scrub recipe features coffee grounds for a couple of reasons.

1. Coffee grounds are economical. If you ask nicely (as I did this very morning), there's every chance your local barista will give you some coffee grounds, they have a lot of 'spillage' I'm sure many will be happy to give to you. Alternatively, if you like a home brew you'll have coffee grounds at your ready anyway - double the value! I think I'm not far off buying my own coffee machine soon, ideally with a grinder integrated. 

2. Coffee grounds are a fabulous exfoliator. Just like coarse sea salt or sand on your skin, coffee grounds make the perfect exfoliator for your whole body, removing dead skin cells naturally and making way for new skin cells beneath. Exfoliating your skin regularly is a great way to improve circulation.

3. Coffee is good for your skin. If you are sensitive to drinking caffeine, you can rest assured you won't be wired from scrubbing your body with it. However my readings tell me it 'can' reduce the appearance of cellulite (I'm not making any promises here) and give your skin a firmer appearance. Caffeine is also full of antioxidants which may help fight the signs of aging. 

Notes on this body scrub recipe:

1. I have made this scrub with enough oil to keep the mixture quite wet and therefore easier to apply. From experience with drier commercial coffee scrubs, I've found that I often lose half the mixture on the shower floor as I'm applying it.
2. Feel free to sub sugar for sea salt or an oil such as almond or olive instead of coconut.
3. I have used dry ground coffee in my recipe. I believe this will have a greater shelf life than wet coffee grounds. Further reading suggested that you could be introducing bacteria to your scrub if using wet grounds and storing long term. I plan on keeping half of this recipe in the fridge (I feel comfortable that it'll last for a good month) and the other half in the shower for immediate use. If using wet grounds I would simply make enough to use as I need it. 

Makes 1.5 cups 

1 cup coffee grounds
1 cup fractionated coconut oil or carrier oil of choice*
3/4 cup sugar or fine sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 2 teaspoons powder

Combine everything in a bowl and store in a glass jar at room temperature.

Apply the scrub all over your body 1-2 times per week. I tend not to apply this to my face because it feels a little too coarse for my skin, but some may choose to do so.

I also like to keep mine in the shower so it's at hand and not an after thought (when I risk sliding across the bathroom with wet feet to retrieve it).

How to use this body scrub

Jump in the shower to apply - the stuff is messy!

Wash yourself first, (as one typically does when one gets in the shower..) then drip dry for a tick. Grab a couple of handfuls of scrub and start at your feet, working your way up towards your heart slowly, massaging gently in a circular motion. Don't rush, take a few minutes to do this if you can.

If you're patient and don't mind hanging around in your bathroom, try and hold out for 5-10 minutes before rinsing to let the ingredients spin their magic. Please do be careful in your shower, the oil may make things a little slippery. 

Once out of the shower, your skin should feel beautifully soft and silky. Follow it up with a coconut oil moisturise for even more silk! 

* post updated to omit pure coconut oil which will go hard in the drain.

Do you have any favourite homemade scrub flavours? Personally I love citrus flavours in the shower so I'm thinking a sugar/salt, lime and coconut oil scrub might be a good alternative to coffee grounds?